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Friday, 13 June 2014

Some Early Reviews

I'd like to say a massive THANK YOU to all the kind readers who've written early reviews of A Song for Issy Bradley. If I could make a cake for each of you, I would!

No matter what you thought of the novel - whether you loved it, whether it left you cold, or you felt somewhere in between - I really appreciate the fact that you took the time to sit down and write about it. Here are a few quotes from some of the reviews (if you click on each reviewer's name you'll be transported to their brilliant blog/website):I loved A Song for Issy Bradley. It's wry, smart, human, and, rather miraculously avoids mawkishness. And, ultimately, it's moving and comforting in a way that makes sense even to the agnostic.- Nick Hornby in The Believer magazine. This is a book about family, any family, who has to conjecture enough faith to miraculously resurrect itself from the abyss after having lost one of its own.- Rana Asfour.This book is not about a death. It may make you cry, but it is just as likely to make you laugh in recognition or in sheer delight. - Jeanette Greaves.This is a gorgeous book, fully deserving of the place it's had on all sorts of 'best book' lists over the last few months. Read it.- Sarah Jasmon.It's a wonderfully written book. Beautifully observed. But the emotional impact was extreme, and I didn't like the ending, it felt like it was missing the last page almost.- Jax Blunt. It is a book that shows how hearts can be shattered by loss and how only family can put things back together. It is a brave, sometimes funny and often deeply moving novel that deserves every success. - Dan Powell.Bray handles the content sensitively and truthfully, but most of all I'm stunned that this is only her first novel. I'm sure this won't be the last we hear of her.- Bex Dawkins.An impressive debut delves into the life of a family of Mormons after their youngest child dies. Wonderful characters and excellent writing. Recommended.- TheBookBag.

This isn’t a book about death. Nor is it a book about organised religion, although it gives an interesting and clever insight into both of those things.It’s a book about family, and about love, and about what that really truly means. It’s beautiful.
- Jo Wilkinson

There are some more reviews here, written by a group of Lovereading members.